


Healer

by nothingelsematters



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: M/M, inspired by the HAPPIEST NEWS OF ALL!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-09-23 11:58:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9656555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothingelsematters/pseuds/nothingelsematters
Summary: Jason: From the Greek name Ιασων (Iason), which was derived from Greek ιασθαι (iasthai) "to heal".Love heals all.Or,Five Times Jason Checked In On Josh and One Time Josh Came To See Him.





	1. Mid August, 2015

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration taken from the IceNetwork article (http://www.icenetwork.com/news/2017/02/08/215476312/for-the-love-of-the-sport-farris-announces-comeback) particularly this bit:
> 
> "He saw Max Aaron regularly at World Arena, and said that **Jason Brown was constantly checking in on him and his progress.** "

**One - Mid August, 2015**

Jason gets the call in the late afternoon, after a long day of hard work with Rohene on his new free skate. He glances down at his phone, and it's Josh, and that doesn't immediately ring any alarm bells, though he does remember that Josh was supposed to be on one of the later sessions today, and thinks it's a little bit early.

Nothing, he thinks later, could have prepared him for the fear he hears in Joshua's voice when he answers.

"Jase? I...I got another one." And Josh's voice trembles. "My head hurts so much..."

Jason's blood runs cold.

"Where are you? Are you at home? Hang tight, I'll be there soon." His words start jumbling together, and his voice rises in panic, just enough to grab Rohene and Kori's attention. He's not a genius, but he knows that things like this have  _consequences._ Consequences he can't bear the idea of Josh facing, and certainly not alone. He starts flinging his things willy-nilly into his back, and doesn't notice Kori approaching until she speaks.

"Jase?" Her voice is softer than it should be - he's leaving early, earlier than he should, she should be scolding him... "Is everything all right?"

"It's Josh," Jason babbles. "He's got another concussion and I have to go see him Kori, I have to go see him..."

Kori frowns. "Can you drive right now? You're panicking, you're not in control of yourself. You shouldn't be driving."

"I'll be all right, I have to go."

Kori doesn't let him, of course. She makes him sit in the office for fifteen minutes, taking deep breaths and drinking water.

*

When Jason finally does arrive at the little apartment Josh shares with Joe, he's surprised to find that there isn't any light in the place. Every curtain is closed, every light switched off. He trips over his own feet in the darkness, and even the soft swearing under his breath is replied to with a faint whimper from Josh's bedroom.

Slowly, feeling his way along the wall, Jason makes his way over there. There's a faint, dim light in here, from the late afternoon sun under the curtain, and he is able to make out the shape of his boyfriend in the bed.

"Josh?" Jason whispers.

"Jase," Josh whispers back, and Jason lets out a breath he didn't realise he was holding. He creeps over to the bed, and carefully sits down, but Josh makes a pained noise, so he quickly leaps back up and wheels Josh's desk chair over instead.

"Love? Are you...will you be all right?"

Josh doesn't respond, lying there in the dim light with his eyes closed; after a short while, and with what seems like an enormous effort, he murmurs, "No."

Jason reaches out to him without thinking, but the slightest brush of his fingertips to Josh's forehead elicits a cry of pain, and he jerks his hand back. His heart is racing in fear. This is the worst he's ever seen Josh, unable to take noise or touch or light...

Josh's arm is lying on the bed. Jason reaches out and slowly, carefully, takes Josh's hand in his. There's a tense moment, wondering if this too will cause pain, and then Josh sighs, a sigh that seems to come from the depths of his very soul.

"I love you," Josh whispers.

"I love you too," Jason replies softly, and they sit in silence for a long time, Josh's hand in Jason's.

Jason can see the tears tracking down Josh's cheeks, and he cries silently, unable to bear seeing Josh this way. But at least it was only temporary. Soon Josh will be well again.

 

_Won't he?_


	2. Late September, 2015

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't going as hoped.

This was how it was supposed to go.

_Josh spends a week lying in darkness, and his brain heals itself. He spends another week doing gentle off-ice work. Then, he's back on the ice._

_And he goes to his Grands Prix, and he medals there, and he and Jason go to the GPF together, and they have the time of their lives._

_Then, after a wonderful battle at Nationals, they earn the right to represent their country, together, at Worlds, on home soil._

_This is how it is supposed to go._

*

But that's not how it goes.

Jason finds out that Josh has withdrawn from his Grand Prix events at the same time everyone else does, and he's not happy about it. He goes flying up to Josh's place in the closest thing to a rage that he can, hurt and angry that Josh had not told him of this huge development. They are supposed to share  _everything_. They aren't supposed to keep secrets from each other.

All of his rage, however, drains out of him when he arrives at the apartment to find it in darkness once again.

 _Why does Josh still need darkness_? Fear gnaws in his gut. He picks his way through to Josh's room to find him sitting on his bed, a half-covered light providing a dim glow, plucking at the strings of his guitar.

"Josh?" Jason asks quietly.

Josh looks up; he's pale, his eyes dull and reddened at the corners; he's been crying. He doesn't smile.

"Hey, Jase." His tone is flat and unhappy, and Jason's heart aches. How can he be angry at Josh?

"Are you all right?" Jason says, and Josh shakes his head very slowly. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Josh sighs. "Everything is wrong. I can't skate, I can't even live, I can't even drive up to see you, I can't set a schedule, I've got no idea when I'll be back on the ice, the doctors won't give me a timeline and just - everything  _hurts_. I can't even go on the internet, or read a book, it's just the guitar."

Jason is struck by the bitterness in his tone.

"I didn't know it was so bad," he says. "Why didn't you tell me? About the Grand Prix?"

Josh looks back at him blankly.

"I did."

Jason frowns. "No, you didn't."

"I thought - I thought I told you. The other night when we called?"

"No," Jason replies, startled by both this revelation and the tears welling up in Josh's eyes again. He scrambles desperately to try and ward them off. "What are you playing?"

Josh looks down at his guitar, and his voice isn't entirely steady when he replies.

"Give Me Love, of course."

"Of course," Jason smiles. "Why don't you play it for me? If you like."

That draws a small smile out of Josh, and he settles himself in a more comfortable position on his bed. Jason settles himself at the other end, and Josh begins to play and sing; not too loudly, because that kind of hurts, but just enough to make Jason feel the intimacy of the moment; Josh is singing to him, and for him, and no-one else.

 _"Give a little time to me, or burn this out. We'll play hide and seek, to turn this around. All I want, is the taste that your lips allow. My my, my my oh, give me love..._ "

Josh closes his eyes, and like this, he looks happier, freer, and more like the young man that had so charmed the rest of the world. Jason smiles to himself at the memory; all those people newly loving Josh, but he was the one who got to have all of him.

They'll get through this. So Josh's comeback will be at Nationals, not as previously planned; Jason will just have to skate extra great for him on the Grand Prix.

This will be how it's supposed to go.


	3. Early January, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, they're both injured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to write something about them watching US Nationals together, but I wanted to do something around Josh's 21st birthday and since Mosca seems to have US Nationals covered, I took this option. The withdrawals that broke our hearts just two days apart.

Josh has known he won't be at Nationals for a few weeks now, but it still makes him feel even sadder when the official practice groups go up without his name. Especially since his birthday is tomorrow, it feels like a kick in the guts.

He gets a few text messages from his friends, asking if he's okay, but the only one he answers is the one from Jason. It's nothing more than a sad face, and Josh just replies with a sad face on his own. He adds, "I guess I'll sit on the couch and watch you be wonderful", but he doesn't get a reply, which leaves Josh feeling mildly unsettled, to say the least.

Still, Josh has never been one to press, so he doesn't push Jason to answer.

*

A party had originally been planned to celebrate his twenty-first birthday, and Josh has been looking forward to it for a while. The only problem is, he still can't predict when and where his symptoms will strike, and so the party has been called off, to his great disappointment.

It turns out to be a good thing; Josh wakes on his birthday with a raging migraine and a general fog, and lies in bed for some hours, unable to even look at his phone. Joe stops into his room to wish him a happy birthday, but recognises the signs of Josh having a really bad day and otherwise leaves him alone. It's nearly eleven o'clock before Josh can even sit up without feeling overwhelmingly dizzy; he manages to get himself to the bathroom, and splash his face, and take the tablets the doctor has given him for these days. Slowly, he starts to feel a little better, if foggy.

With his phone on his dimmest setting, he starts checking messages; read one, rest his eyes for ten minutes. Read another, rest his eyes for another ten minutes. Even with this slow method of processing, it doesn't take him long to realise that Jason hasn't messaged him.

His mother soon arrives with one of her dairy-free cakes, though, and Lukas and Joe in tow, and they have the world's quietest birthday lunch. And when Josh blows out the candles on his cake, it doesn't hurt, and he's able to make a wish as he does.

_Skating._

Later, he remembers that he can't drink, because concussion, and that makes him kind of annoyed. Because he can't even  _live_ right now.

*

Jason's text finally arrives at around three o'clock.

_Oh my god I'm so sorry, people kept me talking all day. Happy birthday and I hope you have a wonderful amazing day because you are wonderful amazing and I love you._

This brings a smile to Josh's face, and he replies,  _I love you too._ He ignores everything else, knowing Jason will read between the lines.  _Are you coming by tonight_?

_I'm so sorry I can't come by tonight :( I promise I will tomorrow morning!_

_Cool, that's fine_ , Josh replies, but it kind of isn't. But he won't tell Jason that.

*

The next morning, Josh wakes with no headache, minimal fog, and a warm, heavy weight curled into his side. Upon processing that last piece of information Josh opens his eyes; Jason is lying, sweet and asleep, in his bed, his arms around Josh's waist and one leg slung across his. Josh knows other people would think this is cute and romantic, but Josh knows that the position Jason is currently in is comfortable for his back. (The pillow that Jason uses as a substitute at home is called MiniJosh. Jason insists it doesn't work as well.)

Josh smiles, wondering when Jason got in, when Joe let him in. It had to have been during the night. It takes him a few minutes to realise that the skin around Jason's eyes is red and blotchy, salty tracks marking his cheeks, and his mouth turns down at the corners.

 _Jason's been crying_?

Josh reaches out to touch without thinking, and Jason's eyes open slowly. In spite of his obvious misery, he puts on a huge, bright smile.

"Good morning," Jason says, kissing Josh's nose.

"Good morning," Josh replies, brushing Jason's hair off his face. "Are you...all right?"

Jason looks down, suddenly finding the buttons on Josh's pyjamas really interesting.

"Did you have a good day?" he asks, his voice falsely bright, sidestepping the question.

Josh grips Jason's chin and lifts it so that Jason has to look at him.

"What is it, Jase? Is it something to do with why you ignored me yesterday?" Josh winces at the bitterness in his tone as he says it.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Jason says. "I just didn't...I couldn't...it was supposed to be your special day. I couldn't face you, I couldn't tell you, and ruin your day."

"Tell me what?"

Jason's shoulders drop, and his head drops, and Josh suddenly knows what he's about to say.

"I had to withdraw," Jason whispers. "I can't - my back - the doctors said I couldn't."

Josh pulls Jason to his chest, and they lie there together for a while, saying nothing, just breathing in rhythm until Jason's hitching sobs quiet.

"This is why you avoided me yesterday?"

"Yes," Jason whispers. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," Josh replies. "You shouldn't feel like you have to tiptoe around me."

Jason shakes his head, buries his face in Josh's chest, and mumbles something inaudible, and they return to their comfortable silence. Josh feels himself smiling. Even if he can't skate, this is also home, this warm comfort with Jason snuggled into him, and the fog slowly starts clearing from his brain.

Jason must have felt the lightening of Josh's mood, because he lifts his head and also smiles.

"You know what this means right?"

"What?" Josh asks, curious.

"We're going to have a sleepover and watch all of Nationals. Together."

Josh grins. "We sure are. Your place or mine?"


	4. 1 July, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason finds out about Joshua's next step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in an interview late last year, Jason admitted that when he heard the news, he started crying right away and so did his parents. Then of course he posted that beautiful tribute on instagram.

 

Jason gets the text message as he's in the car with his family, heading out for some sightseeing.

_I'm sorry._

Panic climbs up Jason's throat as he reads those two words next to Josh's name, over and over. What do they mean? Why is Josh apologising to him? What is going on?

_For what?_

Jason opts for the flippant reply; perhaps it's nothing, maybe Josh broke the theraband Jason had lent him...

_article.docx_

Jason frowns, and hesitates, wondering if he should open this document. Something about Josh's undecorated texts, the lack of emojis, the lack of comment on the document, plants foreboding in his heart. But Josh obviously wants him to read it, so Jason opens the document.

It's a final draft of an article for IceNetwork. Jason scrolls down to see the headline.

And when he sees it, his phone clatters to the floor of the car, and a long keening wail of sorrow is torn from his throat without him even being aware.

_No! This isn't how it's supposed to be! This isn't supposed to happen!_

Of course, this reaction, however unintentional, has thoroughly freaked out his parents; they've pulled over at once.

"Jason? Honey? What's wrong? What is it?"

The tears come hot and fast, unable to be stopped; around the giant lump in his throat, Jason can't speak. He gestures mutely to his phone, which his mother picks up.

And then all three of them are crying, and he's snuggled safely down in his parents' embrace. The words, now seared into Jason's memory with a firebrand, now begin to have images associated with them, images Jason knows now will never come true.

He pictures them on the top steps at Nationals, arms around each other, another one-two, this time for Josh's first National title; the first time they medal together at Four Continents. Their first World medals. The Grand Prix Final. And...Jason hiccups again...the Olympics. Korea. It was supposed to be them, the two of them laughing and smiling and competing for the country, so, so proud of the rings on their chests. And now it never will be.

Slowly, very slowly, his sobs begin to die away, and his brain starts to think again. If  _he_ is feeling bad, Josh must be feeling a thousand times worse right now.

He manages to extract himself from his parents, and wipes his eyes. Then he wipes his phone, which has been splattered by someone's tears, and wipes the salty spots off his glasses, trying to compose himself.

"I don't understand," Marla finally says. "Why didn't he tell you until now?"

Jason frowns slightly. And then, remembering another time Josh didn't tell him something:

"He didn't want to hurt me. He wanted me to enjoy California. So he left it til the last minute to tell me, because he didn't want to ruin my trip."

Marla nods.

*

They drive to a more sensible place to stop, a roadhouse near the sea. Jason takes his phone, and walks off alone, seating himself on some rocks by a lagoon.

Then he takes a deep breath, and calls Josh, opting to Facetime him rather than just voice call, because he needs to  _see_ Josh right now.

Josh picks up straightaway, like he's been waiting for Jason's call. And in his greeting, in his face, Jason can hear the strain in his voice, see the unmistakeable signs that Josh has been crying too, and it breaks his heart.

"I'm sorry," Josh whispers, and Jason nearly cries again. Somehow, he hangs onto his composure.

"Don't be," Jason replies. "I know why you didn't tell me. When...when did you decide...?"

Josh sniffs. "It was after my appointment, a week after you left. I...everything was just so  _hard_ , and when the doctor started talking about post concussion syndrome and how they couldn't make guarantees until I was feeling better...I knew. I just...I knew. Even coaching's been so hard, and I've been such a  _horrible_ boyfriend..."

Jason manages to smile, in spite of himself. "If this is you being a horrible boyfriend, you being a good one must be out of this world. You haven't been horrible, Josh."

That also manages to draw a smile out of Josh, and he starts asking questions about Jason's trip, where they were going. Jason lets him small talk for a few minutes. Finally, he asks,

"When will everyone else know?"

"Today," Josh admits. "I think the article goes live in an hour or two. I...I didn't want to do that to you, to have everyone else know first."

He looks so sad, Jason just wants to hold him.

"What else are you doing today? Are you coaching?"

"No...I...actually don't have any plans."

Jason frowns his stern face at him. "None at all? Does this mean you're just going to mope around in your bedroom all day long?"

Josh looks so sheepish that Jason actually laughs.

"Well, I was going to play my guitar..."

"Will you play for me?"

When Jason returns to the car, looking more relaxed, his parents are surprised and pleased to hear the sound of guitar music coming out of Jason's phone. All the way to their destination, Josh plays and sings for Jason, and his voice gets stronger, his playing more confident.

_If I risk it all, would you break my fall?_

_How do I live, how do I breathe,_

_When you're not here I'm suffocating_

_I wanna feel love, run through my blood_

_Tell me is this where I give it all up_

_For you, I have to risk it all_

_Because the writing's on the wall..._

"I don't know that your range goes high enough for that song, love," Jason teases him, and Josh actually laughs.

Jason's phone starts blowing up, and Jason can hear Josh's phone blowing up too, so they say a reluctant goodbye. By the time they hang up, Jason already has ten messages. He scrolls through them, and one of them catches his eye.

_He's not done yet. He doesn't know it, but he's not done yet._

It's from Max. Jason ponders this for a moment. Max shares ice with Josh; he's Jason's faithful spy, relaying warnings and updates as necessary. If anyone knows this, Max should.

He thinks about Josh's face, his voice, how he had looked and sounded, and wonders if Max's prediction is true. Then he shoves it to the back of his mind.

 _My job is to protect Josh,_ he thinks fiercely.  _And I'll do that as much as I can, until he's feeling right again._

He opens instagram and goes searching through his vault of images. The one he's looking for jumps out at him; him and Josh as tiny little Intermediates, one and two on a podium, big goofy braces-wearing grins on display.

He can't reveal their relationship, but he can share some of his feelings with the world.

_Josh - no single skater has had a bigger impact on me than you..._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For whatever reason, since Jason started skating to it, Sam Smith's Writing on the Wall has stuck itself firmly in my brain as relating to Josh/Jason.


	5. Thanksgiving, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason is thankful that things are starting to look up again for Josh. But Josh is hiding a big secret...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm SO sorry for the lack of update on this one.
> 
> And my timing sucks. Really sucks. I mean really sucks.

For Thanksgiving, Jason plans for his "gratitude list" item to be that he is grateful that Josh is recovering. It is slow, but he is recovering, and every day, Jason begins to see more and more signs that his boyfriend is returning to his old self.

By the time Thanksgiving actually comes around, he is in so much pain himself that his gratitude is more about him not having to worry incessantly about Josh's health anymore, so that he can focus on his own. This does come with a pretty big upside - Josh is so much improved that now it's his turn to fuss over Jason and look after him.

"You stay right there," Josh orders as the timer on the coffee machine goes off, indicating that the coffee is ready. "I'll get it."

Jason cranes his neck to watch as Josh scuttles into the kitchen, watching and quietly enjoying the ease with which Josh moves now, the freedom, the way he spins on his heel in the kitchen to grab a mug, moving without hesitation and unencumbered by fear.

It's not as quiet anymore, either. Now Josh laughs, and throws his head back in that beautiful way Jason loves to do so; his blue eyes sparkling clear like a lake. He chatters as he fixes their coffees; rattling along gaily about one of his students, whose progress is astonishing him, who adores him, and who he thinks he'll have to start preparing a competition plan for soon. He gives Jason the World Arena gossip, talking about who's hit what and who's working on what and how everyone's going. His voice only drops in tone when he mentions that Max's off-ice routines seem to indicate his stomach is still giving him problems, but then he continues with a dry remark about Max still out-jumping every other person there.

Jason is the quiet one for once, just listening to Josh talk, listening to him bright and happy and open, and he can feel tears gathering in the back of his eyes, because he can't even begin to describe how much he's missed this.

"You all right?" Josh asks gently as he brings their mugs over to the couch. He carefully places them on the coffee table (within Jason's reach) and seats himself on the couch next to him, lifting Jason's legs so that he's sitting under them.

"Yes," Jason smiles at him. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just...I've missed you."

Josh giggles. "You've only been gone a few weeks."

"No, I don't mean that." Jason pauses, wondering if this is wise; he presses on anyway. "I mean I've missed  _you_."

The smile slides off Josh's face as he takes in what Jason really meant.

"I know," he says, at last. "I've missed me, too. I'm sorry. That Josh - that Josh wasn't the one you agreed to stick with, all those years ago."

Jason feels his heart twist. "Yes, he was," he replies, reaching out to touch Josh's cheek. "He's just a different part of you. The dark part. And even though I missed  _you_ , I'm glad you let me see that Dark Josh. Because I needed to know. I needed to know that he was there so I knew how to handle him, just in case."

Josh grins again. "You make it sound like I'm Batman."

"You're not?"

Josh snorts into his coffee.

"So when do I get to see Dark Jason?" he jokes, a little limply.

"You're seeing him," Jason sighs, leaning back on the couch. Josh raises an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, so this more like...90% Jason? I don't know. Just...I'm grateful you're back. That's all, okay?"

"Okay," Josh says, and he begins rubbing Jason's legs, massaging the calf muscles, and Jason melts into the couch because that feels  _good_. 

They sit in silence for a long time, Josh's fingers digging through the knots of muscle in his calves, and Jason admires his boyfriend through hooded lids. His shirt is riding up a little at his hip; Jason can see a very teasing hint of pale skin over abs...

Josh is getting back in shape, he realises suddenly, with a jolt. He knows Josh has been going to the gym, and he's been glad of it, glad that he's felt well enough to do it again, glad that Josh is pursuing something for himself. But this...he looks more closely at Josh.

This isn't just Josh going to the gym.

This is Josh getting close towards  _fighting shape_.

Jason is intimately familiar with what Josh looks like in fighting shape, the more he examines him, the more he realises that that's what's been happening. He thinks back over the last few dinners they've had. Nothing calorie-dense. Lots of protein. Different to how Josh had been eating before now.

But why would Josh be getting into fighting shape?

And another thought crosses his mind. He'd mentioned something that Max had been doing. Josh didn't have any Novice-Senior students yet, so why would he have been on those sessions to know? Unless...

_Unless he's skating himself!_

It couldn't be, could it?

"Jase?"

"Yeah?" Jason shook himself from those thoughts.

"You okay? You spaced out on me there."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jason smiles. "Just fine. Keep going."

For a moment, he contemplates asking. Then he decides against it. If Josh is skating again, he'll tell Jason when he's ready. He'll just have to wait.

In the meantime, he'll just continue to be grateful that Josh is happy.


	6. Early December, 2016

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time, Joshua comes to see Jason.

The rapid tapping on his door surprises Jason, and comes at a rather inconvenient time; he has his hands in soapy water, hand-washing some of his practice clothes. "Just a sec!" he yells, and the tapping ceases.

Curious - he wasn't expecting any visitors today - he dries his hands on a dishtowel and hobbles towards the door. His walking boot is still a little awkward, but it does make it less painful, so he'll wear it gladly.

Opening the door, Jason barely has time to register that it's Josh before he's being wrapped up in a tight warm hug and showered in loving kisses. He lets it happen, indulging in this rare uncontrolled display of affection from Josh; not that Josh isn't affectionate, he just tends to not show it like  _this_.

They have to break apart for air eventually, and Jason finds himself with his forehead resting against Josh's, smiling at his boyfriend's happy expression, the clarity in his eyes. Josh is truly back to his old self.

"I have some news for you," Josh says breathlessly, and Jason grins.

"Well then, let's have it," he says. "Come sit down, and tell me."

They sit down on Jason's bed, the nearest soft surface; Josh doesn't immediately snuggle up to Jason, but instead, takes hold of his hands, their unspoken signal that the conversation is to be a serious one. Jason looks up, and wonders what it's about. Josh is almost vibrating with joy, his face shining, his smile wide; what could possibly have his normally reticent lover in such a state?

And then Jason knows. Knows the one thing that it could be. Excitement rises in him, but he manages to contain it. He'll let Josh say it.

_Please let it be..._

"You know I'm skating again, right?"

Jason nods.  _Yes, this is how it's supposed to be!_

"Well, the doctors cleared me for jumps. All jumps." Josh swallows, and the brightness in his face increases. "Jase, I... _I have my triple Axel back_."

Jason bites his lip to stop from squealing. He knows this isn't the end of the story.  _This is - he is! It's true!_

"And so...so I talked to Damon...and Christy...and..."

And Jason can contain himself no longer.

" _You're coming back_!" he shrieks and throws his arms around Josh, tackling him to the bed and kissing all over his face. "Oh my god I wanted it so bad I can't believe it's true you're actually coming back!"

Josh laughs, but pushes Jason back a little, and looks a little hurt. "Who told you?"

"Your face did!" Jason giggles. "You look - you look so  _happy_ , I knew it could only be that! So is it real? Is it really real?"

"Yes, Jase, it's really real." Josh's face softens, and the delight suffuses his voice. "I'm really going to come back. I already spoke to the fed about it, and Damon and Christy are happy to start working with me again. Obviously it won't be this season, but..."

"Oh my god," Jason whispers, and their dream - their heart's desire - rises before his eyes again. The two of them. Standing together, arm in arm, in red, white and blue. The two of them standing under  _the Olympic rings_. "Korea. You - me - we could-"

"Maybe," Josh says, his voice telling Jason he sees the same vision, that most precious dream they thought they'd lost. "I mean, it'll be really hard, and I've been out for so long..."

"You can do it," Jason says warmly. " _We_ can do it.  _Together_."

"Together," Josh agrees. "Together."

And Jason buries his face in the crook of Josh's neck, and he laughs, and he cries, and he cries, and he laughs, because finally,  _finally_ the world has returned to its proper axis. Josh wraps his arms tightly around him, and croons softly in his ear, in that wonderful soothing way he has always done whenever Jason is stressed or emotionally uncontrolled. They would be back to normal, talking about training and comparing jump notes and bouncing program ideas off each other. Talking about competitions and sending each other postcards from whatever exotic locations they found themselves in. And he and Josh would face off again on the ice. Together.

_This is how it's supposed to be._

 

 

 

 

_Jason (Sent 6:17pm): You told me so. <3_

_Max (Received 6:23pm) : I told you so. <3_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear real life: I would very much like to write a happy, fluffy sequel to this, capturing moments of the comeback. So, if you could be so kind? PLEASE STOP TORTURING HIM. JUST LET IT HAPPEN. PLEASE.


End file.
